Overdrive
by BluAugust
Summary: AU. "Pop quiz. Airport, gunman with one hostage. He’s using her for cover; he’s almost to the plane. You’re a hundred feet away. Shikamaru?” Shikamaru glanced up at Asuma. "Shoot the hostage." ShikaTem
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or the movie Speed. All plot and characters are copyright their respective owners.

**Summary:** "Pop quiz. Airport, gunman with one hostage. He's using her for cover; he's almost to the plane. You're a hundred feet away. Shikamaru?" Shikamaru glanced up at him. "Shoot the hostage."

**Author's Note: **This plot has been bugging me for awhile so I decided to get it out there and see if there is any interest in it being continued. I have really been wanting to write a Shikamaru-centric fic for some time. This will be ShikaXTem but Temari will not appear until the third or forth chapter. The rest of the Naruto cast will be used but their characters will be minor and their relationships varied meaning they will not all know one another. Some of their POV's will be included but it is just to offer a seperate perspective on what is happening. As I stated it will be ShikaTem. The character of Shikamaru is based off of post time-skip. Another thing I wanted to mention that in this story Hidan will be slightly out of character. For the purpose of this story he will be playing a fairly intelligent individual where in the anime/magna he is not portrayed as overly bright. I think that is all I wanted to clear up. Enjoy!

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* * *

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**OVERDRIVE**

Chapter One- Nothing Personal

* * *

He was debating whether or not he would try to head over to his girlfriend's house once this day was over. He was stuck in this building until 7 when he and the other security guards on duty would be replaced by the night guard. Some days he wondered if he could have a more boring job, other days it wasn't so bad. Either way he was certain it wasn't something he wanted to do with the rest of his life. It was a temporary thing until he had a better idea of what he wanted to do.

Without much of a thought he pushed open one of the restricted doors. He poked his head through for a moment before pulling it back out and going to close the door behind him. He froze with his hand on the door knob, his mind processing the fact that he had seen what appeared to be a bag on the ground. He frowned and pushed his head back into the room only to see the shadow of a figure.

With his walkie-talkie in hand, he stepped into the room, the sound of a tool being used catching his ear. He walked towards the other person cautiously before he spotted the uniformed man working on some sort of wiring. He frowned.

"Excuse me sir, you can't be here. This area is restricted," he explained.

"I know but they called me down here to fix this wiring," the man muttered, his head still buried in his work.

"No one called it down to me. I'm going to have to see a work order," he explained to the man.

"Yeah hold on one second," mumbled the man as he reached down and grabbed the piece of paper that lay in his bag. "Here you go."

He leaned forward to look at the paper. It didn't look much like a form to him. He saw a flash of movement from the other side of the paper and his eyes only had time to widen as the cold metal of a screwdriver was slammed violently into the side of his head. His mouth fell open, the shock numbing the pain of the deadly injury.

"Nothing personal," the uniformed man said with a sadistic smirk before a toe-curling laugh escaped his lips. The laugh of a madman, he recognized it, and the laugh mirrored the man's expression. It was the last thing he'd ever see. He was gone before he hit the ground.

* * *

Ino stood up from her chair and stretched her slender arms over her head. One day down and four more to go before the weekend got here. She brushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and lifted her jacket off of the back of the chair. She glanced at her computer screen, making sure it had fully shut itself down before letting a pleasant smile grace her features. Humming lightly to herself she slid her jacket over her arms and walked around her desk. She opened the door and stepped out of her office after flicking the light off. She locked the door and looked up to see Sai walking towards her, a grin plastered on his pale features. She lifted her slender hand and offered a slight wave as the dark-haired young man walked over to her.

"How was your day beautiful," he asked, the nickname one he had given her the first day she had met him.

"Long," she confessed. "How was yours?"

"Oh it was fine," he said as she fell into step beside him and the two headed for the elevator.

They walked down the hallway, exchanging pleasantries and discussing work. It was a typical day for Ino. Sai would walk her to her car and then she would go home for the evening to the small townhouse on the east side that she shared with her fiancé. She looked away from Sai and towards the elevators where she spotted Shino just about to step inside of one.

"Shino hold the elevator please," she called out as she trotted down the hallway with Sai behind her.

They stepped into the elevator and were followed by several of their other co-workers, a young woman named Moegi and two younger men, Konohamaru and Udon. Yamato and Shizune joined them in the elevator as well and Ino found herself moving in between Sai and Shino to make room for the others. She watched as Udon pushed the button for the ground floor despite the fact that the light was already on.

"Thanks for pushing that, Udon. The light's on but you never know, it really might be broken," Konohamaru said as he leaned back against the wall.

"Shut up," Moegi said rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

The elevator doors dinged and began to close and Ino fiddled with the cuff of her jacket as elevator music filled the silence. Her pale blue eyes drifted upwards towards the display screen over the door as the red numbers indicating the floor they were only, slowly drifted by.

43…42…41.

There was a loud noise, like a firework going off just above her head. The elevator shuddered and then another loud bang rang through her ears. The light flickered out and the music died as the elevator plummeted. She screamed but she wasn't the only one. Her own cry was just a part of the collected outburst from the passengers in the elevator. It was like the floor dropped out from beneath her and the breath came out of her lungs with a 'whoosh'. Her blue eyes watched as the red number flashed by at an alarming rate. They were all going to die.

The sound of screeching filled the air and the elevator seemed to lurch as the emergency brake was activated. The elevator seemed to almost travel upwards for a brief moment before it continued its downward decent, slowing quickly until it finally squealed its way to a stop. For a moment there was complete silence inside the metal box.

Ino held her breath out of fear that he elevator would start its downward decent once again, but it remained where it was, and after a moment, she let out the breath she had been holding. Everyone else in the elevator seemed to do the same thing as they peered at one another's startled faces.

"Jesus. Udon, which button did you push," Konohamaru asked.

No one laughed and Ino found her pale blue eyes traveling to the red number that was displayed right above the door. 29. 29 stories to plummet. She found herself holding her breath again.

* * *

Shikamaru was sitting on the roof of his apartment building, the door propped open somewhere behind him so he didn't end up locking himself up here. He was seated with his back again the wall, his arms back behind his head as he looked up at the sky. It was a nice day to sit outside and watch the clouds. The whether was cool, but the sun made it comfortable for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The sky was pleasant blue color today, not the dreary gray skies that hinted at either rain or a muggy day. The clouds were white and wispy, not a thundercloud in sight.

Still the best part of the day, and he could say this for certain, was that he had the day off. He'd been able to catch up on some sleep that he hadn't been getting, and for the first time in far too long, as far as he was concerned at least, he'd been able to come up to the roof and watch the clouds. His mother hadn't even called him today to bother him about coming over for dinner or give him crap about something she didn't like about his current lifestyle. He sighed out loud and relaxed further, letting his muscles turn languid as he sat there.

He closed his eyes, letting the sun warm his face as he listened to the sound of traffic moving on the street below him. He had tomorrow off too and he wondered if the day would be just as nice as this one. He never bothered listening to the weather, he found that more often than not he had a better chance of calling what it would do than the meteorologists and all of their equipment. Maybe tomorrow he would go see his parents, then again staying right here definitely had an undeniable appeal.

The muffled sound of his cell phone ringing drowned out the sound of the traffic below him. He was hit with a brief sense of foreboding that told him answering this call was definitely going to ruin the rest of his day. He was half-tempted to ignore the ringing because chances were that it was his mother. Still he knew that he should at least look at who was calling. With a bit of a groan he dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out the phone and glancing at the screen through squinted eyes. Asuma. Shikamaru flipped open the phone.

"Hello."

"Get your shit together Shikamaru. We got a situation and the captain's calling everyone in. I'll be outside your apartment in five," Asuma said.

"It's my day off," Shikamaru explained, his voice sounding bored despite the fact that he was already on his feet and heading towards the door.

"Quit your complaining and get your ass off the roof. You've got four minutes now," Asuma barked into the phone.

"You sound like my mother. How'd you know I was on the roof anyway," Shikamaru asked as he kicked his door stop out of the way and let the door to the roof swing shut behind him as he descended a narrow set of stairs.

"The sun's out," Asuma said. Shikamaru swore he heard his low chuckle as he disconnected the call.

Shikamaru didn't give it much more thought as he shoved his phone back into his pocket and hurried down the stairs, wondering for what might be the millionth time why he had signed up for this. He hit the bottom of the stairs and jogged down the hall, pausing briefly to change into his dark blue uniform and lock up his apartment before he was on the move again. He jogged out to the sidewalk just as Asuma's car turned onto his road, the blue light the only indication that he meant business. Shikamaru didn't hesitate to hop in the car as it pulled up in front of him.

"Six minutes. You're getting old and slow," he commented as Asuma hit the gas.

"And your getting to be a smart ass for someone who hasn't been doing this very long," Asuma fired back though there was a grin on his face.

"I've always been smart. I'm just perfecting the ass part these days," Shikamaru said his expression completely devoid of emotion other than the slight hint of amusement in his eyes.

* * *

The breaks squealed as Asuma brought the car to stop in front of a multistory office building. Shikamaru jumped out of the car, and walked around to the back of the trunk, Asuma doing the same. He lifted the trunk open and grabbed out Asuma's vest, handing it to him before grabbing his own. He quickly shrugged into the vest, securing it before reaching into the trunk and pulling out a semi-automatic. Hardly standard equipment but today wasn't meeting any sort of standards. Asuma shut the trunk and the two headed into the building.

He found it ironic that he was walking into a building that everyone else was running out of. He was supposed to be the smart one. Yet if he was smart something told him he would be joining those people and heading away from the trouble, not towards it. Yet his feet kept moving on ahead. He had a job to do and that was something that he took seriously. Not only that but he had people depending on him. He wouldn't let them down.

He checked his gun and adjusted the straps on his vest all the while making his way through a crowd of people going the other way that seemed to part for him and Asuma. It was the uniform, and the gun. Without those he'd had been run over given the panicked looks on most of the people's faces. He noticed a few security guards directing the people, trying to keep control. It was a good thing, control that was. The quicker they got everyone evacuated the less chance their was of someone getting hurt. He focused his attention back in front of him and fell into step beside Asuma and several other uniformed officers. They cut away from the crowd of people and entered a room. He could hear Captain Hatake talking with who he assumed was someone that worked in the building.

"I want you to make sure all these other elevators remained locked down and empty"

"Yes sir," the man replied with a nod to his head.

"Now there is no other way. No other way in or out, no other doors except access panels. That's correct," Kakashi questioned.

"Yes sir." Kakashi nodded and walked over to stand in front of where Shikamaru and Asuma had come to stand with the rest of the men.

"Alright here's what we got. We have ten passengers on an express elevator below floor 30. The bomb has already taken out cables. The bomber wants three million dollars or he blows the emergency brakes," Kakashi explained, his mood strictly business now.

"What's our clock," Asuma asked.

"He gave us one hour. That gives us twenty three minutes exactly," Iruka said from beside Asuma, glancing at his watch.

"Anything else going to keep this elevator from falling," asked another officer to Shikamaru's right.

"Yeah the basement," Shikamaru supplied, earning a look from Asuma.

"The city would like to avoid that Officer Nara," Kakashi said, also un-amused.

"We can't just unload the passengers," Asuma asked, drawing Kakashi's attention away from Shikamaru.

"This is an express elevator. The only way in or out is through access panels. The bombers also wired the hatch to trigger the bomb, which puts him in the crazy but not stupid section," Kakashi explained. "Shikamaru, Asuma you too take a look at the device."

"The nearest access panel is on the 32nd floor in the lobby," the building employee supplied.

"I want reports only, run a holding pattern. Izumo, Kotetsu I want you two to secure the base area. No one in or out. Everyone else confirm building evac. Move!"

"Looks like we're walking," Shikmaru mumbled under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the movie Speed.

Author's Notes: I have had an odd bit of desire to write this chapter so I thought I would put it up. A little more action and character insight. Enjoy.

* * *

**OVERDRIVE**

Chapter Two- Pop Quiz

* * *

"Twenty-nine," Shikamaru supplied as he and Asuma reached the top of the twenty-ninth flight of stairs.

"Thirty," he said a moment later as the reached the top of yet another set. They were passing people as they jogged up the stairs. More officers were escorting people down the stairs, evacuating the building.

"Thirty-one."

"Thirty-two," he said as they both came to a stop in front of the door that opened to the thirty-second floor. He looked over at Asuma, who nodded and opened the door.

Shikamaru went through the door first, sweeping his gun across the hallway they entered, Asuma at his back checking the other direction. He moved forward, his gun sweeping the same path as his eyes. The area was clear, no signs of anyone else nearby.

Shikamaru walked along the side of the wall, lifting his fist and banging on the panels of the wall. He listened to the sound as he went from wall to wall, Asuma jogging down to the end of the hallway to check the end rooms for signs of anyone. Shikamaru passed another panel. He banged his fist against it and froze at the hollow sound it made. He felt the panel and lowered his weapon once Asuma had cleared the end of the hall. He pulled a small drill out of his pocket and began to unscrew the access panel.

He removed the screws from around the panel and pulled it away from the wall, leaning it against it. He picked his gun back up and leaned inside, his gaze taking in the sight of the unmoving elevator, about two floor below him. He leaned back out as Asuma brought over a chair. He placed it in front of where the panel had been and climbed through the hole and into the elevator shaft. Shikamaru followed behind him, grabbing onto the access ladder and making his way downward.

He could hear the people in the elevator calling out to them, panic in their voices as they tried to figure out who was there. He got down to the elevator and watched as Asuma moved over to take another look at the bomb. Shikamaru watched as he turned on the flash light that his gun was equipped with and examined the bomb and the wiring.

"Ladies and Gentlemen this is the Kohona City police department," Shikamaru said, finally addressing the panicked voices coming from the elevator. Again it was important that they remain calm so that Asuma could focus on the bomb. "There has been an elevator malfunction so just relax and we will have you out of there soon."

He didn't feel bad about lying to them. Worrying them further wasn't going to help them any. It was better that they didn't know that he and Asuma were standing up here staring into the face of a bomb.

* * *

The silence in the elevator was interrupted by the whine of what sounded to be a power tool somewhere above them. Ino looked up though all she could see was the top of the elevator. She glanced over at Sai who shrugged his shoulders.

"Hello," Shizune called out. "Is there anyone there," she asked.

There was no answer and again all of the passengers of the elevator found themselves standing there in silence. The echoing sound of what sounded like someone climbing down the ladder. Ino glanced at Sai, who shrugged his shoulders indicating he had no idea what was going on.

"Who's there," Yamato called out. "What's going on?"

_Ladies and Gentlemen this is the Kohona City police department. There has been an elevator malfunction so just relax and we will have you out of there soon._

She heard the voice drift through the elevator and tensed. What in the world were the police doing here? Something wasn't right though for the life of her she couldn't be sure what.

"Please get us out of here," Moegi cried from beside Konahamaru.

"How come they sent cops here," Sai asked, voicing her own thoughts out loud. "Shouldn't they send repair guys," he said low enough so only she and Shino could hear. She noticed Shino nod beside her and she swallowed a lump in her throat. Something was very wrong. If there wasn't they'd be working on getting them out already.

* * *

"What do you think," Asuma asked, shining his flashlight on the rigged emergency brakes.

"You're the expert," Shikamaru replied though he was looking at the bomb. "I just work here."

While he certainly knew enough, far more than most new cops did on the subject, he didn't have Asuma's experience. In short he valued Asuma's opinion far more than his own. He knew he was smart but there were some things that experience trumped being smart every time, and Asuma was certainly no fool either.

"It looks pretty solid," Asuma said with a bit of a sigh.

"Anyone we know," he asked, mentally going through a list of known bombers that he had tucked away in his head. Some were pretty identifiable through their work.

"I don't recognize the work, but whoever he is, he's a pro," Asuma said as he shifted his weight back to the balls of his feet and glanced at his watch. "Man's he's cutting it close," he muttered.

"I don't like it," Shikamaru said finally, a frown working its way over his features.

"What's to like," Asuma answered back. "But Kakashi said we hold so we hold."

Shikamaru's frown deepened and he moved from his spot on the ladder onto one of the beams that ran across the elevator shaft. His gaze ran over the wiring and explosive devices that ran over the elevator only to come back to Asuma as he straightened and spoke to him.

"Alright pop quiz. Airport, gunman with one hostage. He's using her for cover; he's almost to the plane. You're a hundred feet away."

Shikamaru registered the question in his mind but by this time he was pacing the beam, his head cocked to the side slightly as he looked at the explosives again. He lifted his gaze upward, and looked up the elevator shaft, his mind going a mile a minute as it always seemed to do. He was in thought, the question Asuma had given him and the problem at hand were playing out in different ways in his mind.

"Shikamaru," Asuma said interrupting his thought process, wanting an answer to the proposed scenario.

"Shoot the hostage," Shikamaru replied his eyes never leaving the devices on the elevator.

"What," Asuma asked, disbelief clear in his tone.

"Take her out of the equation. Go for the good wound and he can't get to the plane with her. Then you have a clear shot," he explained. It made perfect sense whether it seemed logical or not. Sure it required shooting the hostage but in the end it would save her from being forced onto the plane and it also left the gunman with no cover. Still, while it might be sound strategy it certainly wasn't something likely to be appreciated by public affairs. Sometimes the best plan of action wasn't always the 'right' plan of action anymore.

"You are nuts. Shoot the hostage," Asuma repeated, still in disbelief, a chuckle escaping his lips. He shook his head still laughing in mild amusement over Shikamaru's answer.

Meanwhile Shikamaru was still focused on the device. Something about it, something about this whole thing wasn't sitting right with him. It was like a nagging feeling deep in his gut that something wasn't right. He could say for sure why he felt that way but he did and it was eating away at him. He needed to do something. He needed to think of something.

"Asuma this isn't right," he muttered quietly. "He's going to blow it anyway."

"What makes you say that?"

"Gut feeling I guess," Shikamaru supplied because really that was the only answer he could give. He wasn't sure why he was so certain that this bomber had every intention of setting off these bombs whether he got his money or not, but something told him that he would. Something just wasn't right. He needed to think. There had to be something he could do.

"Well Kakashi's orders outrank your gut feelings so we are staying put," Asuma supplied.

"How much do you think that elevator weighs," Shikamaru asked, choosing to ignore what Asuma had just said.

"Shikamaru come on," Asuma started. It didn't matter though. The wheels were already in full motion in Shikamaru's mind.

"Maybe we can do something out those hostages," Shikamaru said as he moved over to the ladder and began to climb up. Asuma hesitated for a moment before following after Shikamaru, his mind made up to go with whatever plan that the younger officer had come up with. Well every plan except one.

"You're not going to shoot them are you?"

* * *

Ino glanced back up at the ceiling, her blue eyes still wide with fear. She wanted to see her family again. She knew something was very wrong and she didn't want it to end like this. Yet from the sounds above her it sounded like the police officers were leaving. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing but a gut feeling told her that it was bad.

"Don't leave us," Matsuri cried out.

Ino bit her lower lip and pulled out her cell phone. She wished she could call someone just in case this was the end but to her dismay she got no service in this elevator. Instead she flipped to a picture of herself and her fiancé and looked at it with a fond smile.

"You'll see him soon."

She turned and forced another smile on her features for the kind words Shino had offered her. She mouthed a 'thanks' to him and slipped her cell phone back into her pocket. She truly hoped he was right.

* * *

Asuma kicked open the door and Shikamaru walked through it and onto the roof. He swung his gun to the left, his gaze following it as he took a few steps in the direction he was moving. Behind him Asuma was moving to the right, making sure to clear the roof though neither of them expected to find much up here on the roof of the building. He cleared his side, everything was in one piece. There was nothing to be suspicious about. He turned back to Asuma, noticing that he had lowered his gun as well.

Shikamaru's gaze turned then to the small construction crane on the far part of the rooftop. He shouldered the strap of his weapon, swinging it around behind his back before moving quickly over to the ladder.

"Maybe we can take the hostages out of the equation," Shikamaru called out as he began to scale the ladder, his pace quick and fluid, something that often came as a surprise to some people. He reached the top of the ladder and moved across one of the support beams, not noticing from his position he could see the entire city of Kohona below him.

He managed to reach the crane without incident, and grabbed the hook at the end of the steel cable. He pulled on the cable, unraveling it from the cylindrical device it was wrapped around. He kept going, lowering the hook down to Asuma who pulled it over to a vent at the top of the elevator shaft. He fed the hook in between the blades the bars of the vent before calling over his shoulder to Shikamaru, who was now making his way back across the support beam.

"You sure this thing will hold?"

"It will hold," Shikamaru said as he began to descend the ladder. So he wasn't entirely sure if it would hold. There were too many unknowns for him to figure it out down to the exact pound. He was basing everything off of estimates but without exact numbers he couldn't be sure. Plus if the emergency breaks did go the extra strain put on the crane when the line went taught might just be enough to dislodge the thing. Still it was better than nothing and all the thing really needed to do was buy them some time. He just hoped that the supports on the crane were good enough.

"We've got six minutes," Asuma called out as Shikamaru placed both of his feet back onto the rooftop. There wasn't much time at all.

* * *

"I don't have any more time," Kakashi barked into the phone as he looked at his watch. They only had six minutes more until they reached the deadline. Six minutes to get together three million dollars. He didn't want these people to die at the hands of some madman. He wanted to get them out and yet he had hit a wall getting the money he needed. They wanted him to stall, but he couldn't stall if he couldn't even talk to the guy.

"He's not talking. I need the money now," Kakashi demanded, his hands gripping the phone tightly.

* * *

Shikamaru quickly devised a pulley like device between the supplies he and Asuma had on themselves and the support beams located in the elevator shaft. Now all that was left was for one of them to lower the other down and attach the hook to the elevator. Shikamaru glanced at Asuma, who grinned back at him.

"You're lighter," Asuma said, still wearing his smug grin.

Not a minute later and Shikamaru was hanging upside down while Asuma lowered him down the elevator shaft. The rope was tied onto his vest and Asuma held the other end. His life was literally in Asuma's hands. Still Asuma and his father were probably the only two people he would trust with that role. Suspended above an elevator rigged to explode by a rope brought a question to his mind, one he had asked so many times before.

"Tell me again Asuma, why did I take this job," he asked as he watched himself being lowered closer and closer to the elevator.

"Come on, thirty more years of this you get a tiny pension and a cheap gold watch," Asuma said as he lowered Shikamaru a bit further.

"Cool," Shikamaru said with a nod. Of course both of them knew the real reason that he had taken the job. For starters this had been his dad's job as well. His father had retired a few years ago from it, but it seemed that the career had called out to his only son as well. There was something about it that Shikamaru couldn't escape. It was like it ran in his blood. For as indifferent as he so often appeared to some, he had a strong moral compass. It was the kind that couldn't be bought, broken, or bended, which seemed to be quite rare these days. He had a strong desire to protect others and despite the fact that he claimed he was neither hero nor brave, he would willingly stand in the line of fire for others.

In all fairness he had been unmotivated without an ambition in life as a teenager. He had gotten so-so grades and made no real effort at anything. Yet somewhere over the years he had shaped up. He had gotten into this line of work and not a day went by when he slacked off at it. He was responsible and had a duty to do, not just for himself but because others were counting on him. He refused to let any of them down even if it meant putting himself into harm's way. He was no longer the uninspired teen he used to be, though he certainly had retained qualities from those years that he supposed he would never shake.

Asuma lowered him until he was just above the elevator and Shikamaru could hear the voices of the worried people in the elevator. They were mostly quiet now, obviously feeling a bit defeated as they were unable to do anything. Shikamaru studied the top of the elevator and looked for the most central location that would hold when he attached the hook. He choose his spot and looped the hook through, the metal against metal making a clang that seemed to echo through the elevator shaft.

He could hear the pulley they had devised squeak its protest as Asuma began to haul him back up. He imagined how the thing would sound if it was Asuma hanging from this rope. The thought was amusing but he didn't comment on it instead he focused his gaze on the top of the elevator, watching as he moved further away from it with everyone of Asuma's tugs on the rope.

He reached the top of the elevator and reached out to grab the top support. His gloved hand wrapped around the cool metal when the loud sound exploded from under him. He felt the hot air of the explosion blow past him, knocking lose his grip. Asuma made a grab for him and the elevator dropped.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Just another mention that I do not own Naruto or the movie Speed from where the plot is taken. The first several chapters will mirror the movie.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto _or_ the plot of Speed**

**Author's Notes**: Thanks to all who reviewed. Also note that this chapter has quite a bit of language. This is mostly due to the pressence of Hidan. Another side note is that for those of you wondering Temari will be introduced in the next chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Three- Shoot the Hostage**

For a brief moment he dangled rather precariously at the top of the elevator shaft and a very long fall. The heat of the explosion had whipped past him, disorienting him as he hung there. The steel cable he had attached to the elevator seemed to race past him, whizzing through the air with a strange sounding hum. Before he could orient himself Asuma had grabbed onto the rope that held him and pulled him roughly towards the grate they were perched atop. The sudden change in direction brought Shikamaru's mind back into action as his hands reached out and latched onto Asuma's vest in case he lost his hold on the rope.

Asuma pulled him in and the moment Shikamaru felt the solid surface beneath his back he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He hadn't exactly woken up this morning with the intention of falling to his death. His relieve was short-lived though because the steal cable snapped itself taunt followed by the groan of steal from outside on the room. Knowing that was anything but good, Shikamaru snapped to his feet in an action that was quite contradictory to the languid expression he often wore on his features.

"Move," Asuma yelled.

Shikamaru didn't need to be told. He was already heading back out of the elevator shaft as Asuma's warning came. The two of them hit the lobby and sprinted towards the stairs, no longer concerned with clearing the floor. Taking the stairs two at a time, both nearly stumbled as the whole building's structure seemed to shake under a sudden impact.

"He's early. We still had time," Asuma mattered as he regained his footing and flung open the door.

Shikamaru was right behind him, and as soon as the pair came to the hallway, he sprinted over to the doors to the elevator. He reached into his vest and pulled out a pair of pliers, using them to wedge the door open. The bottom of the elevator came into view, jerking to a stop with about three feet of the elevator in the opening.

"Kakashi we need help up here," Asuma barked into his communication piece.

* * *

When the noise exploded around her, the floor exploded out from underneath her. It was literal in this sense as the elevator floor beneath her feet vanished from the explosion. At first she didn't realize it. As the elevator began to fall with her body, it didn't occur to her that she was standing on nothing but air. Then the elevator came to a jerking stop and her body fell through the place where the floor had once been. She cried out in surprise, reaching her arms out in front of her as her body fell through the hole.

Legs kicking in mid air she managed to stop herself from falling through. Shino and Sai immediately rushed to her and grabbed her arms tugging her back upwards. As they did she felt the twisted metal of the damaged elevator bite into her calf and ankle. Her foot came to a complete stop then, snagged by the twisted metal. Her blue eyes widened and attempted to pull her own foot out of the metal, but it didn't budge. She tried again, her facial expression more frantic now as the metal bit further into her flesh. She could feel the warm, sticky liquid of her own blood running down the side of her calf and over her heel. None of it mattered though. The most important thing was to free herself. She pulled again, crying out slightly because of the pain but ignoring it regardless.

Shino and Sai attempted to maneuver her around and help her pull but nothing seemed to work. Another cry escaped her lips because this time the elevator dropped again. The whole elevator shaft seemed to shake shortly after the elevator had begun free falling again. It came to a stop once again, the jerking motion uncomfortable. It may have caused her to slip back down into the whole if it weren't for the grip Sai and Shino had on her.

Through blurred vision, which she realized was due to the frantic tears that rolled down her cheeks, she saw the elevator doors pried apart, creating a three foot gap to pass through. A police officer was standing there, reaching up into the elevator and clasping his hands with the frantic grip of Moegi. She tried pulling her foot out again.

* * *

Shikamaru reached up took a young woman's hands in his own. She was a redhead with a smattering of freckles across her nose and a set of pigtails.

"Please help," she pleaded. The elevator groaned in protest and dropped another three feet, suddenly brining him face to face with the passengers.

"Everyone out," Asuma ordered and one by one he and Asuma began pulling the passengers out of the elevator and into the hallway.

Seven of the passengers filed out without a problem. They had them all out quickly. That left behind a young woman and two young men. The young men were holding on to the young woman who was desperately trying to pull herself up out of a whole in the floor of the elevator.

Shikamaru glanced over at Asuma, who looked back at him. For a moment he recalled a game of Shogi in which they had discussed the various meanings of the pieces on the board. Each one of them saw themselves as expendable, a piece to be sacrificed in order to uphold the law and protect the people they were sworn to serve. The ability to protect for the future was their main purpose. So no words needed to be shared between them and nn that moment an entire conversation was held through the space of a second. Each knew what the other was thinking and Shikamaru jumped into the elevator.

"I've got her. I need you two to exit the elevator," Shikamaru stated.

While both men relinquished their holds on the blonde woman, they were both reluctant to leave. Shikamaru glanced over his shoulder and saw them still standing there.

"Now," he said coolly, and watched as they two stepped through the opening and into the hall. He had gotten two more out by coming into this elevator. It had been a good decision based on that alone. Now all he needed to do was get one more out.

His attention turned back to the young woman whose shoulders were shaking with silent sobs. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and her face was ashen from fear. Ignoring the fact that it was hardly appropriate Shikamaru placed his hand on the back of the young woman's upper thigh in order to keep her from slipping back down. Leaning over his reached his other hand down, following her leg down to where it met the twisted steel.

He said nothing as he felt around and found her heel wedged into the jagged metal quite well. He frowned and resisted the urge to utter a curse as he gave a sharp tug. Nothing budged. Something occurred to him then and he reached around her ankle and unsnapped the strap of the heel she was wearing. Her foot slipped free with surprising ease and he quickly leaned back and pulled her up the rest of the way.

The elevator groaned again and dropped around three feet, leaving them well below the floor of the hallway. Again not caring he shoved her upwards, and her hands were taken by Asuma and one of the men who had been with her earlier. They pulled her up and out of the elevator with a single heave.

All of the hostages were out and his job was complete. The elevator groaned again and he grabbed Asuma's hand and jumped upwards as they pulled. With one final groan the elevator gave way and Shikamaru passed through the opening just as vanished completely. He landed rather ungracefully, flat on the floor to be exact. He glanced up to see Asuma, who had fallen backwards on his rear, grinning at him.

Just then the whole building shook as the elevator hit the bottom of the shaft. Several of the hostages shrieked and the men Kakashi had sent to help began ushering them quickly down the hall. Shikamaru pushed himself up off the ground only to come face to face with the blonde he had just gotten out of the elevator. She gave him a tearful thank you before allowing herself to be half-carried down the hall towards the stairs. Exhausted Shikamaru walked over to the nearest wall and sunk down against it. He glanced up as Asuma followed suit and took a seat beside him.

"He was early," Shikamaru said leaning his head back against the wall. "We still had time."

"I find that a lot of these big time criminals have a problem with that," Asuma said with a dry laugh.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and folded his hands in front of him, his mind going through what had happened now that he had an actual moment to think. A frown worked its way into his expression as he sat there. Beside him Asuma was oblivious to his partner's train of thought. Instead a different thought popped into his mind. He decided to voice it.

"That blonde was a looker," Asuma said, his voice trailing off slightly.

"Engaged," Shikamaru said after a moment's pause.

"What?"

"She was engaged. I saw the ring," Shikamaru stated before climbing to his feet. "Asuma I think he knew we were up to something. How else would he have known to blow the elevator right then?"

"Shikamaru we've got this place surrounded. There is no way this guy is sitting here. He's probably halfway to Suna by now," Asuma said climbing to his feet. "And did you seriously notice a ring with everything else going on?"

"It pays to be observant," Shikamaru muttered but it was clear his thoughts were elsewhere. "If here were here he'd want to be able to stay on the move," Shikamaru continued, talking to himself.

"We shut down the elevators," Asuma pointed out despite the fact that his partner hadn't been talking to him.

"What about the freight elevators?"

The look on Asuma's face was the only answer that Shikamaru needed. Seized by a gut feeling he moved down the hallway over to where the layout he had seen earlier had showed the freight elevators. Again he pulled out his pliers to wedge open the door. This time he left them jammed into the bottom of the door so the thing would stay open. He glanced down and his dark eyes widened when he saw the freight elevator hanging there, some equipment sticking out the top.

"Holy shit," Asuma whispered under his breath.

"I think we found our friend," Shikamaru replied, reaching out to grab onto the elevator cable. Without another word he slid down the cable, moving slowly. Behind him Asuma followed, though he opted to use the access ladder on the side of the shaft rather than the cable. Careful to make no noise, Shikamaru eased onto the metal beam that ran across the top of the elevator and unholstered his gun. Given then equipment on the top of the elevator and the fact that he had heard them up to something, Shikamaru knew they had to remain quiet.

Asuma eased off of the elevator and pulled out his gun as well, looking up at Shikamaru. He was in the process of making a hand signal when the blast of a shotgun tore through the roof of the elevator Asuma was standing on. Asuma fell back against the side of the elevator shaft and Shikamaru teetered dangerously on the beam he was on. Several more shotgun blasts followed causing both Shikamaru and Asuma to dance out of the way of the scatter. The roof from under Asuma's feet gave way and Shikamaru watched helplessly as his partner fall into the elevator with the unknown man.

"Shit," Shikamaru cursed out loud. He was relieved however to hear no more shots being fired.

"One bitch down," shouted the man before laughing in a manner that could only be described as maniacal. "Come on you little fuck give it up."

Shikamaru cursed again as he felt the elevator shift into motion. The elevator began to travel upwards at a steady speed and Shikamaru tilted his head up to glance at what awaited him. The solid surface of the room loomed dangerously overhead, coming closer with each passing second. He frowned, his mind kicking into gear as he tried to figure out what to do. There was no way around this. He couldn't come up with a single way around the inevitable. He would either be crushed or he would have to jump into the elevator.

He looked back up at the ceiling. It was growing closer now. It seemed to rush towards him, ready to crush the life out of him. In the end he supposed that if he had to be either crushed or shot, it would be the latter. So he waited until the last possible moment and jumped into the elevator.

He landed on his feet only to fall backwards onto his back. He jerked himself up and froze. He found himself staring down the barrel of a sawed off shot gun. His eyes widened ever so slightly before they managed to move past the gun to the man holding it. Whoever he was, he was tall. His hair was long and a light gray that made it appear almost white. He had a sadistic grin on his face and an ear piece in his left ear. Asuma was slumped on the ground beside him, his face bloodied from what had probably been a blow from the butt of the gun.

"You ruined our plans! I don't suppose anyone would give me the money just for you," he asked before letting loose with that laugh again. He squeezed the trigger and Shikamaru visibly flinched only to realize that nothing happened. The gun clicked indicating it was empty. Either that or it jammed, it really didn't matter. Realizing this Shikamaru smacked the barrel of the gun out of his face and drew his own in front of him.

"Not so fast bitch," the man said as he ripped off his shirt, revealing the intricate vest of explosives he was wearing. Reaching his hand around he exposed a triggered stick that he waved in front of Shikamaru's face. "I drop this and we all go to Jashin," he screamed wildly.

Shikamaru cursed to himself but kept his gun steady on the madman. This guy looked like a fanatic right down to his toes. It was undeniably creepy, but he wasn't about to back down.

"Give it up. You're never going to get out of this building," Shikamaru ordered.

For a moment it looked like the madman wasn't paying him any mind. He looked focus on something else. Shikamaru tried to figure out what was going on but the moment passed and the madman looked back at him, grinning a smile that went ear to ear.

"That's where you are wrong you arrogant little fuck," he said as he leaned over and punched something into a number pad that had been hooked into the elevator. "Now everyone sees us getting off at the third floor," he said before laughing again. "Get up bitch," he ordered dragging Asuma up by his hair.

He started laughing again only to stop and glare and Shikamaru. "You know you really went and messed up my whole damn day."

"Because you didn't get to kill everyone," Shikamaru questioned, his eyes narrowing as the elevator opened on the basement floor.

"Those were to be sacrifices for Lord Jashin," he screamed as he stepped out of the elevator, Asuma in tow.

"I don't care about your stupid Lord Jashin. Those were innocent people you tried to kill," Shikamaru said coolly, moving along slowly, his gun still trained the madman, who was now using Asuma as a shield.

"Shut your fucking mouth. You will learn to regret ever meeting me," he screamed, his eyes bulging.

"I'm already there," Shikamaru bit back.

"Shut the fuck up. If I drop this they are going to have to pick up this bitch with a sponge. Do you want him to die? Do you want him to be a sacrifice? Say one more damn thing, take one more fucking step and I'll do it," he ordered causing Shikamaru to momentarily pause. "Do you want to die bitch," he cooed into Asuma's ear.

"Go fuck yourself," Asuma growled.

The madman started to laugh again, the hysterical sound of it practically ringing it Shikamaru's ears. If he never heard that laugh again for the rest of his life it would be far too soon. It was unnerving to run into someone so off-his-rocker. There was no way to predict someone like this. He realized then that they were nearing the exit. He was running out of time to make a move and he was going to have to make one if he wanted to save Asuma. His brow furrowed in concentration when he heard Asuma's voice.

"Shoot the hostage."

Shikamaru frowned and glanced up at the pair. He tilted his head sideways as if asking a question before he shrugged his shoulders, lowered his gun slightly and pulled the trigger. The shot hit Asuma in the leg causing him to sink to the ground, his hands gripping his leg.

"You shot me," Asuma said out loud his voice coated in what was disbelieve and probably a little bit of shock from the fact that he had just been shot. For a moment Shikamaru looked at him before he lifted his gun back up and pointed it directly at the madman.

"Freeze," he ordered.

The madman, without his hostage to drag with him again waved the stick at him. He could still drop it and the blast would still kill them all. He still had that much leverage and as a result Shikamaru couldn't put another round into him. At least he had gotten Asuma away from him through. The older man remained slumped against the wall holding his leg.

The madman let another round of laughter escape his lips as he continued to wave the stick back and forth in front of their faces. With a wave he slipped out the exit. Shikamaru stepped forward, pausing a brief moment to look down and see if Asuma was alright before he heading for the door. He had nearly reached it when the explosion blew the door open. The force of it knocked him backward down the hall. His back slammed into the wall and he felt the heat rush by him before he was surrounded by darkness.


End file.
